Not for Lack of Love
by WizardsGirl
Summary: Funnily enough, it wasn't Harry's fault this time. It was Ginny's. And, now, he's trapped in the form of a dog, in the middle of a dog war, and his Hero-Complex is tingling... Now, if only he wasn't a bitch... Literally. Fem!Dog!Harry, Violence of the Ginga-ness. GO HOUGEN! ...Would it be considered slash if a guy becomes a girl, or just weird Het? Meh, R&R! M 4 SAFETY!
1. Chapter 1

Not for Lack of Love

**A/N:** Dunno why I started this. I REALLY need to work on my other fics.

Damn it all to hell in a hand basket…

I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR THE GINGA DENSETSU WEED ANIME SERIES! (Not to be confused with the Manga or Gin series!)

Takes place after DH (No Epilogue), and right at the end of the Kaibutsu/P4 Arc in GDW.

**Prologue**

Pain wrenched through her body.

Blood poured from numerous wounds.

Her sight was foggy, making it difficult to focus through the pounding of her head.

But none of this kept Yuriko-once known as Harry Potter-from standing between Hougen and the injured dog.

The harlequin-furred Great Dane chuckled darkly, yellowish eyes gleaming in the sunlight, and Yuriko bared her fangs in reply, making the Dane lick his own massive fangs.

And, as she prepared herself to defend herself from another attack, Yuriko remembered how she had gotten to this place, transformed into a female brindle-coated Great Dane...

And how she'd ended up anywhere _near_ the cruel, sociopathic Dane before her.

Funny as it was, it was all Ginny's fault.

**Chapter One**

"I'm serious, Ginny!" Harry snapped at his fellow Unspeakable, unbelievably frustrated with her childish grudge. "Don't mess with the Dimension Dog! He might only be a puppy, but that doesn't mean he can't blast you into an alternate world!" The redhead ignored him, as she had been since he decided against getting back together with her after the war four years ago, in order to both settle into his career as well as experiment with his dating options. Four other girlfriends (that all lasted a few weeks only) and two boyfriends (each of which lasted a year...) later, Ginny _still _thought he should go out with her... No. Just... _No_.

Harry let out an annoyed growl, dragging his fingers through his shaggy black hair, and scowling at Ginny's back as she continued to poke and prod and generally upset the small, purple puppy that was laying in his comfortable cage, making it growl and whine, all three eyes glowing gold as his magic fluctuated with its emotions.

"Dammit, Ginny, will you just _stop!_" Harry finally shouted, grabbing the younger Unspeakable by the arm and wrenching her away when she moved to poke the magical creature with yet another syringe. She yelped as she hit the ground, and Harry glowered down at her, opened his mouth to shout at her...

When the disturbed magic of the frightened creature finally unleashed, sweeping throughout the room and hitting everything above table-level, which held Harry, as the other three workers had time to dive for cover. With a howl of unholy pain, Harry glowed neon blue, and disappeared. Immediately after, the puppy collapsed, writhed in place, and then fell unnaturally still, the purple leaking from its fur, until it had turned a dark gray, now nothing more then a stone statue, the magic it had expended too much of a strain on the fragile creature.

Ginny slowly sat up, peaking over the edge of the table, deathly pale.

"Oh no," she whispered to herself, but there was nothing she could do.

Harry had blacked out after the sudden, agonizing flash of magic, skin feeling raw and wrecked. When he woke, he was lying on grass, the sun a too-bright light above him, shining through the tree branches.

"Dammit, Ginny," he groaned, voice pitched higher than before, and he grimaced, shaking his head in an attempt to clear it from the painful ringing. Groaning, he rolled onto his belly, and blinked rapidly before looking down at his hands... Or, really, what _should_ have been his hands. Absurdly large dog paws lay before him, attached to thin arms, and covered in mostly-black brindle fur. He grimaced and shifted his head back, looking over his shoulder. Yep, he was all-dog, and, judging by his size, he was either a fully-grown medium-large one, or a young giant breed...

He was going for a giant breed, though.

Groaning, he shifted to lay on his side, but snapped his head up in surprise when he noticed something _very important_ missing from the underside of his belly. He groaned again, this time in frustrated exasperation, when he fully comprehended what it meant.

He was a bitch.

Literally.

"Suppose it makes sense," he..._she_ muttered to _her_self. "The Dimension Dog _was_ aiming for Ginny, and so was conditioned for transporting a _female_." She gave an annoyed sigh, scowling, and lifted her head to peer at her surroundings. "A forest, not the Forbidden one as it's severely lacking in the 'doom and gloom' category..." She sighed again and heaved herself to her paws, uncertainly trying to balance on the too-big appendages. She scowled down at the massive things, carefully digging her black claws into the dirt in a kneading fashion.

"First order of business," she muttered, taking a hesitant, staggering step, and almost falling on her face. "Learning to walk... Again." She grimaced, but determinedly began to work, keeping at it for hours, until her body shook with exhaustion and the sun was beginning to set. Finally, she collapsed, huffing out panting breathes, eyes closed. Weakly, she crawled under a nearby bush when thunder boomed ominously from the sky, grimacing. Closing her eyes, she decided now was as good a time as any for rest, and so she slipped into a deep sleep. She didn't wake up when it started raining, or when the thunder roared loud enough to shake the ground. She was dead to the world, until deep into the next morning.

She woke to bird-song and the smell of wet, raw earth in her nose, and took a few seconds to remember why she was under a bush... And that she was a _she_. She huffed and crawled awkwardly out from her meager shelter and shook herself firmly, losing her balance briefly and falling on her rump. Huffing out an annoyed breath, she got back to her paws and started aimlessly walking, stomach rumbling for food, a problem she ignored at the moment. She'd only just learned to walk. Unless she came upon a helpfully-abandoned picnic basket, she was going to go hungry for a little while.

"Water source," she muttered to herself, floppy ears perking a bit. "Next order of business. Find a _water source_." She soon began sniffing the air, listening hard as she did so, carefully stepping over exposed roots and pushing through bushes. It took her nearly an hour, but she soon came to a river. The water was a foot or so deeper then the ground she stood on, but she could reach it easily enough. There was a splashing sound, and she looked up, startled to see a young dog clinging to a rock, teeth latched onto the leg of an older German Shepherd. Both looked battered and injured. Her eyes widened, and she froze.

"H-hey!" She cried as the young dog almost slipped. She didn't hesitate to leap into the water, long legs pushing her through the chilly water, her massive paws helping greatly with her movement. She swam all the way out to them and grabbed the Shepherd by the scruff. "I've got him," She grunted out, and the young dog nodded, releasing the others leg. The two of them swam, side-by-side, back to shore, where a young Golden Retriever, a little younger then the dog she helped, had appeared on the shore.

"Weed!" The Retriever cried, before turning his head. "I found him!" He shouted, and then helped pull the Shepherd from the water, Harry and the young dog dragging themselves out. Harry shook herself furiously, shuddering.

"Water," she muttered, disgruntled. "Always something to do with _water_." Huffing she turned and took a better look at the young dog she'd helped. He was... Blue? Blue, with a white underbelly and snout, and with two white circles above his eyes. He turned equally blue eyes up to her, and smiled.

"Arigato, miss," he said, relieved; Harry inclined her head.

"The least I could do," she replied, recognizing the word the other dog (An Akita if she was right) used as a Japanese word meaning 'thank you'. They'd been joined by a brown Great Dane mix with a darker brown face, a tiger-striped gray dog, and an English Setter. Harry nodded at them all as they quickly took in his appearance, before they all turned their attention to the slumped, panting form of the battered Shepherd.

"Jerome-san," the striped dog said worriedly; the Shepherd grunted and shifted his eyes around the group once, hesitating on Harry briefly, before he closed his eyelids.

"If you die after dragged your ass out of that cold water, I'm gonna be pissed, mister," Harry declared, poking the Shepherd, Jerome, with a paw. "Life is too short to just give up on. You have to go out with a bang, saving as many of your loved ones as possible, and make sure your enemy will always have something to remember you by, you know?" Jerome slit his eye open again, and managed a weak smirk in her direction, making Harry snort. "That's the spirit, old man," she cajoled easily; suddenly there was a vicious wind, forcing the dogs to crouch and squint, ears pinned back.

"What the hell are the humans doing?!" The striped-dog cried over the loud noise, and Harry managed to squint upward to see a _helicopter_ of all things.

"Stop!" Jerome yelled up at the helicopter. "You aren't allowed here! This is a Paradise for dogs! Humans can't just do what they want here!" He shifted so he was sitting up more, staring intensely at the helicopter. "I'm not coming back! This is where my friends fell! I'm tired of you using me. If you come down here, you'll be met with force. I don't want to have to do that! But I will protect this place..." He sat up even straighter. "These fangs swear by that!" The helicopter hovered for a few more minutes, before it finally turned and flew away. The dogs slowly straightened, except for Jerome, who settled back down in exhaustion, looking both relieved and distraught.

"Jerome-san," the blue Akita murmured, awed; Harry huffed and shook herself again.

"Let's get you someplace you can rest peacefully, old man," she said, nudging his shoulder with her snout. He nodded and heaved himself to his feet, and Harry and the Dane-mix both moved immediately to either side of him, letting him lean against their taller sides.

"Konnichiha," the mix said to her with a nod. "I am Ken, son of Ben." Harry smiled at him, then hesitated.

"Er, I don't really... Have a name yet," she admitted, ducking her head slightly, embarrassed. She couldn't tell them her name was Harry. Even the Japanese version, Hari, meant 'needle' and 'fish hook'. Like hell she was going to be called that. "My mothers name was Lily, though," she said absently, blinking.

"Yuriko," Jerome said; Harry blinked down at him. "It means lily, and child. Child of Lily." Harry felt himself flush, and gave the older dog a warm smile.

"Arigato, Jerome-san," she murmured, unbelievably grateful. The group continued onward until they reached a mound of large boulders, with dead trees poking out randomly. Yuriko (as Harry immediately began to refer to herself as, so that she wouldn't slip up later) and Ken helped Jerome to the base, where he insisted on laying down. Yuriko dragged her eyes around, taking in the corpses of other dogs, and grimaced at the thick, coppery scent of blood.

"You all must have had one hell of a battle here," she said, peering around. Ken and the striped-dog nodded, and Yuriko moved immediately to help them drag the dead dogs over to a nearby clearing, where the English Setter and Retriever were beginning to dig graves. The blue Akita joined them after he helped Yuriko with the three-legged dog, who, she found out, was an old warrior named Smith. Well, if she hadn't been treating the dead with respect _before_, finding out they were all warriors, who had died battling a mutated dog-monster, she definitely was _now_. Hell, she felt _honored_, being included with the burying process at all!

Yuriko remained a respectful distance, and stayed quiet, as the dogs of Ohu (as she learned they were called) said a final goodbye to their fallen comrades. After the burial, she joined them for the night, hungrily devouring the fish the blue Akita (an eight-month old named Weed... Strange name, but she'd heard stranger) had caught for them all despite his bruises. She stayed with them for about a week when it happened.

"Weed!" GB, the English Setter, shouted, running up from the path in the forest, snow clinging lightly to his brown spotted cream coat. Yuriko lifted her head from her paws, where she'd been dozing near the entrance to Gajou (the name of the boulder hill). Weed and Jerome had been discussing something just out of her hearing range, but both were now alert.

"What's happening?" Yuriko asked.

"Akame is here! He just showed up!" The Setter cried, skidding to a stop in order to turn, Weed and Jerome already running after him. Yuriko grimaced, leaped to her feet, and lunged gracefully after them, her long legs and massive paws letting her eat up the distance with ease. She wrinkled her nose as her sensitive pads sank into the relatively new snow, but ignored it as the four of them rounded a bend, and found Ken and Kagetora (the tiger-striped dog, whose breed was called Kai Ken) coaxing an all-white Inu dog to hold on and rest.

"I found them! We're here!" GB shouted; a dazed look crossed the Inu's face as he stared at Weed.

"Konnichiha," Weed greeted. "My name is Weed." The Inu blinked, dazed look focusing and becoming a mix of hope and confusion.

"Weed?" He asked, voice soft. "You're Gin's...?" Weed nodded, blue eyes bright. They all blinked in surprise as the Inu (Yuriko could only assume it was this Akame GB announced) beamed, eyes closed, and looked like he was going to start either laughing or crying. "I'm so glad I found you," Akame said, soft voice a little tight. "Weed, I must tell you now. Gin... Our leader... _Your _father... He's in danger." Yuriko could only bite back an annoyed sigh.

The shit was about to hit the fan, she just knew it.

**A/N:** Mwahaha, the first Harry Potter/Ginga Densetsu Weed x-over yet!

…

And YES, okay?! I have a small obsession with Dog!Harry.

Deal with it.

**R&R!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** So, here's the next chapter.

ENJOY!

R&R!

**Chapter Two**

"So," Yuriko said as the group gathered. "This Hougen guy is some big-shot brat who's taken over the Alps?" She asked, just for clarification.

"Seems like it," GB said. The brindle-coated Great Dane (as Yuriko had found out she was) nodded decisively.

"We should probably send someone to scope them out," she said, idly reaching up with one massive back-paw to scratch absently at her ear. "I volunteer." There was an immediate uproar, and she snorted. "Oh please. I'm faster than all of you thanks to my legs. I'm bigger than all of you, at least height-wise, _and_ I'm female, which gives this bastard extra incentive to keep me alive. I seriously doubt he'd kill me without attempting to make me join him at least." She shrugged, and continued dryly. "Face it: out of all of us here, Weed and I are the only ones likely to be kept alive if captured, and _I_ am the only one of the two of us that isn't going to be tortured for who my father is. He'd just use you as a bargaining chip or a way to hurt your father, Weed, so don't even try to convince me you should go instead," Yuriko said sternly, glaring down at the much smaller Akita. Weed winced and nodded. "I'll just leave now, shall I? Get that much farther ahead and such." She nodded, and looked at Jerome when he stepped forward.

"Be careful, Yuriko-chan," the Shepherd ordered; she smirked at him.

"Don't die on me, Jiji," she snarked back, getting a wry smirk, before she turned and used her powerful legs to leap into the forest, disappearing from sight swiftly. Her large paws and long legs ate up the distance, and she was miles ahead of Weed's group by the end of the first day. She started running again just before dawn, and collapsed in an exhausted sleep just after sunset. She _loathed_ the snow, and was only deliriously happy when she stumbled upon an small, abandoned cabin just before a vicious snowstorm hit. She stayed there throughout the storm and night, and left again in the morning, ignoring the hunger that was beginning to gnaw at her stomach.

By the beginning of the third week out, she was exhausted and dizzy from lack of food.

"For Merlin's sake," she wheezed, collapsing near a small stream. There were some fish swimming in it, but she knew she wasn't nearly fast enough to catch any. She stared at them longingly and whined. After a few minutes, she heaved herself to her feet, and reluctantly swallowed as much water as she could, until her stomach stopped cramping with hunger. It was a trick she'd learned at the Dursley's, and one she'd hoped to never have to use again, but desperate times call for desperate measures, she supposed, lifting her large head to look up at the mountains. She was very close now. She seriously doubted it would be hard finding Hougen's gang.

Of course, it would be easy for _them_ to find _her_ as well, but she could always kill the dogs that did. It was brutal, and she highly doubted Weed would approve, but if she was going to be a spy, then she was better off _not_ being a dead one... Sighing, she wearily climbed to her feet again, and started walking towards the Alps with stubborn tenacity.

Three more days of walking and running and eating snow to fool her stomach, the Dane heard the first sign of other dogs long before she saw it, and being upwind, long before she _smelt_ it. Slipping into a crouch, she slunk up an embankment, through some trees, and found herself watching a gruesome, vastly-unfair battle between a bunch of dogs and four others, one of whom was a badly injured German Shepherd. She flinched slightly as one of the outnumbered dogs was murdered, and then again as the two none-Shepherds were given deadly wounds that were designed to be painful as well as deadly. She was so focused on them, she had to bite back a yelp when the Great Dane appeared, slamming his large paw (much bigger than her own, even!) down on the head of the dying white dog, killing him. Yuriko grimaced darkly, grinding her teeth as he _sat on the dead dog_ and ordered his dogs to attack the Shepherd.

She'd had enough.

Before the dogs could pin the Shepherd again, she was moving, a blur of black and brown against the snowy backdrop, and slammed her paws into dogs, sending them flying. The final dog, the one gripping the Shepherd by the neck, though, she killed harshly, by closing her large mouth over his relatively small head and just _clenching her teeth_, crushing his skull in a burst of blood and crunching bone. She twisted her body and flung the corpse towards the larger Dane, which he dodged by simply leaning down, yellowish eyes focused on her.

"You pathetic wretches," she snarled, enraged. "Attacking an injured dog. You have no honor, and _you!_" She spat, eyes locking on the Dane's strange, yellowish eyes. "_You_ have no right to call yourself a leader. Real leaders fight their own battles, and never send their subordinates to do the job for them, you worthless pile of _shit_." She panted after her rant, teeth bared, then tilted her head away from the now narrow-eyed gaze of the harlequin-furred Dane to glance at the Shepherd, who was wheezing weakly behind/under her as she stood protectively over him.

"You okay, Old Man?" she asked quietly; he smirked at her.

"These bastards can hurt my body, but they'll never even get _near_ my Ohu soldier spirit," he informed her, still panting, and she gave him a fierce grin.

"Just remember that if I get separated from you, alright, Old Man?" She ordered; he chuckled darkly, and she returned her attention to the Dane.

"Do you know who I am, girl?" he demanded, voice deep and cold, torn ears twitch slightly in anger. She sneered at him.

"I don't give a flying fuck who you are, Wretch," she snapped at him harshly. "All I need to know is that you're a worthless fool." He snarled, standing straight, his _much_ taller body heavy with muscle, and Yuriko felt a spurt of panic at his sheer _size_.

"Bitch!" He spat venomously. "I am Hougen of the Alps!" She blinked, frowned, and cocked her head sharply, sending the ear on top flipping upward in an adorable, puppyish way.

"_You're_ Hougen?" She asked incredulously; he smirked/sneered and nodded. "_You're_ the cocky little upstart that everyone is complaining about?" She continued doubtfully; his eyes narrowed again and he slowly nodded. She looked him up and down, tilted her head in the opposite direction (with the same results for the ear on top), and smirked.

"I'm not impressed," she said, lifting a paw and flicking it dismissively. She shifted so she was sitting next to the downed Shepherd, lifting a back paw to absently scratch an ear as she let her eyes drift away. Hougen let out a deep, thunderous growl that made Yuriko have to stifle a nervous shiver, and she returned his furious gaze flatly. "I may only be eight months old, but I can already see that you wont get any willing mating offers." She shook her head idly. "Nope. Especially not when I get the feeling that you're three times more likely to _eat the Pups_ than any of the other dogs here... Hell," she said, now cheerful, and jerked her head in the direction of the bloody Shepherd that belonged to Hougen. "_He_ is all bloody and wounded, but I'd bet my first litter he'd be a better father." She flashed the dog a grin and a wink, and Hougen snarled, turning enraged eyes on the Shepherd, who yipped and cowered.

"I-I wouldn't touch her, Hougen-sama!" he cried shrilly, terrified. Hougen took an ominous step towards the spineless Shepherd, and Yuriko took a chance, flashing a warning look at the dog she'd rescued, before she sashayed forward.

"Now, now, now," she said mockingly, slipping between Hougen and the cowering dog. "No need to be jealous, Hougen-baka," she cajoled, smirking. She whacked him on the shoulder with her tail as she strode past him, his eyes following her. She glanced at him over her shoulder. "Then again," she mused, pausing and turning her head to eye a nearby black Labrador with speculation, making the dogs eyes go huge with panic as Hougen turned his own, much less friendly, eyes on him as well. "Maybe there is reason to be jealous after all..." She turned fully and smirked. "You never know." The larger, older Dane gave another thunderous growl and started towards her. She pranced to the side, still smirking, watching a he followed her. She tilted her head, eying him, and then hummed.

"I'll make you a deal, Hougen-baka," she announced, sitting down primly, wrinkling her nose down at the snow before she turned her bright green eyes on the vicious dog. His eyes narrowed.

"I'm listening," he rumbled out, voice still harsh and strained from his anger, which he was trying to hold in check, apparently. Yuriko jerked her head towards the downed Shepherd she saved before.

"You let him live. He's crippled now anyways," she said dismissively. "Do that, and I'll come with you. How's that?" Hougen glared at her, then turned his glare to the half-dead dog, then back, scowling.

"If he begs for his life, I'll agree," he growled; Yuriko shook his head.

"He's about as likely to beg as you are, Hougen-baka," she remarked dryly. "It's that Ohu spirit. Tenacious bastards, the lot of them," she said, but her tone was admiring and complimentary instead of complaining. Hougen scowled, then turned his baleful eyes onto the injured dog.

"It seems you get to live, old bastard," the Dane announced, and then jerked his head at his dogs. "Head back to the base," he ordered.

"What about the girl we were chasing, Hougen-sama?" One brave soul asked tentatively as the rest immediately turned and started disappearing into the trees. Hougen turned his eyes back to Yuriko, who smirked at him. He tilted his head, and a slow leer curled his lips.

"I've lost interest in that little bitch," he rumbled. "Something much more interesting has come up." Yuriko bared her teeth at him, before she stood and walked past him, making sure her shoulder brushed his, as she made her way to the dog she'd just saved. She grabbed him carefully, gently, by the scruff and lifted him clear from the ground, making him groan. Carefully, she carried him over to a tree with a low branch, setting him there. She then ignored Hougen in order to carry the Shepherds dead comrades over to him, and gave him a parting lick on the head, wiping away some of his blood.

"I am Yuriko," she told him gently, sitting down and smiling at him. "Do not worry too much, Old Man. You'll most probably be found by friends soon. I'll leave you, now," she declared standing and glancing over her shoulder at the impatiently waiting Hougen. "A deal is a deal, after all."

"Don't!" The Shepherd gasped at him, trying to heave himself to his feet. Yuriko simply reached forward and placed a heavy paw on his shoulder, forcing him to collapse again, panting from the strain. "That bastard, he'll just kill you when you're of no use to him any more!" Yuriko smiled again and licked his head a second time.

"Such a chivalrous Old Man you are, Jiji-san," she remarked kindly. "You just rest and don't worry about me. I'm a big girl, after all," she grinned, nudged his shoulder gently, then threw her head back and let out a long, deep, howl. It echoed through the trees eerily, and when she cut it off, the air still reverberated with the sound. She cocked her head, top ear flopping up, and listened intently.

A high-pitched howl answered her, meshing with a pair of deeper howls a few seconds later, and Yuriko nodded, pleased.

"There you go," she declared. "A few friends of mine will help you out before they leave the territory. They're pacifists," she lied to Hougen as she turned and started walking towards him. "Bloodshed is something they want to avoid, especially since they have a few puppies with them." He scowled but nodded, giving one last sneer towards the downed Shepherd, before he turned, bumping his shoulder firmly against Yuriko's.

"Come," he rumbled, and began leading the way through the trees. Yuriko gave him a narrow-eyed look and lengthened her strides until she was stalking ahead of him. She sent him a defiant look over her shoulder.

"I don't follow orders well, Hougen-baka," she informed him, turning forward and lifting her chin proudly. The harlequin Dane just chuckled behind her, and the two of them continued in silence. Several miles later, they reached a large clearing filled with dogs, that held a shrine and a small shed. Yuriko glanced around, pretending not to notice Hougen when he stopped right up close to her, towering over her in a dominant fashion.

"...Seriously?" She asked, and started snickering. "A _shrine_, Hougen-baka?" She cast him an amused glance, and grinned at his scowl. "Rather full of yourself aren't you?" He growled, and shoved his shoulder against hers, sending her stumbling to the side, but she just laughed, shaking her head. "Well, show me around, big man," she said cheerfully, green eyes glancing around and getting a general feel for the soldiers. Most it seemed had little to no training, cannon fodder, as it were. Some, though... Some of them were tried-and-true killers.

"This way, then, Yuriko-chan," he rumbled, and Yuriko padded after him, and found herself comparing their feet with mild fascination. While her paws had always seemed huge, compared to Hougen's they were practically _dainty_! She glanced up and shot him a vaguely-sheepish smile when he smirked back at her, chuckling deep in his chest. He led her up the stairs of the shrine, pushing open the door for her, and she cautiously stepped in, looking around attentively, ears perking. There was a massive mound of pillows and blankets in the center of the empty room, shaped like a large nest. Curious, Yuriko padded towards it and sniffed it curiously, and found it _saturated_ with Hougen's scent, mixed with the smell of another Great Dane, though this one was fainter and still had the base smell of Hougen (something Yuriko couldn't really explain, it was just something she instinctively noticed...). A relative, perhaps...

"Do you have a brother?" she asked curiously; Hougen nodded calmly.

"Genba, my younger brother," he told her, and kicked the sliding door shut with a back foot, smirking over at her. She hummed, and stepped into the bed, poking around it with her foot and nose. The pillows were actually surprisingly soft, and she flopped down, getting comfortable. Now that her adrenaline wasn't pumping, and she didn't have to worry about fighting a larger dog to defend an injured comrade, she felt exhausted and vaguely sick from lack of food. Blinking sluggishly, she could only murmur under her breath when Hougen slid into the nest beside her, and shift unconsciously against his warm side in an effort to fight of the chill that had been eating through her short fur for almost two and a half weeks. She slowly closed her eyes, and didn't even try to complain when the larger dog laid his head atop of hers. She just slid into a deep, dreamless sleep, and stayed that way for the rest of the night.

Meanwhile, several miles away, in the depths of the forest, Hiro the ball-snatcher and the rest of the Ohu gang had finally found John the German Shepherd, alive but badly wounded.

"John-san!" Hiro rasped, and the German Shepherd gave him a weak smirk.

"Kept my man-to-man promise, didn't I, Hiro-san?" He muttered as they quickly pushed him up and across Hiro's broad shoulders. "Not sure if I would have, though," John confessed. "If that girl hadn't interfered..."

"Girl?" Weed asked; John looked tiredly at him, then blinked and smirked again.

"You look just like Gin, Gaki," he chuckled; Weed smiled shyly up at him. "And yes, girl. A brindle-coated Dane, eight months old. Said her name was Yuriko..."

"Yuriko!" Weed and the original soldiers gasped, and they all shared worried looks. Jerome grimace, jaw clenching.

"Hai," John replied. "She made a deal with that Hougen bastard. If he left me alive, she'd go with him." He bared his teeth, infuriated. "He agreed, and she pulled my fallen comrades closer to me and told me not to worry about her, before she turned and left with that wretch!" He closed his eyes tightly. "Does someone have my comrades?" He asked weakly.

"Hai, John-san," a large orange-furred Borzoi said. John nodded, giving an exhausted sigh.

"Good," he murmured. "Lefty... Tomi... Roshi... They were true soldiers of Ohu..." he let out a deep sigh and passed out.

"Let him rest," Jerome ordered quietly, and the group continued on towards the shed where Reika and the rest of the Ohu fighters were resting and waiting for them. Weed looked off in the direction of Hougen's territory, and gritted his teeth. _Yuriko-chan... be careful..._

**A/N: **And so enters Hougen! My all-time Favorite Ginga Character! GO BAD GUYS AND GREAT DANES, COMBINED!

Oh, and about **Harry's Attitude:** He IS a female dog now, combined with his bad-assery from before, means he's less likely to take shit, and he'll be instinctively attracted to strong male dogs, and so will flirt. It doesn't help that distraction-through-flirting saves lives... In this case, so, yeah, Harry wouldn't mind stooping that low.

Any Questions? Just Ask!

**R&R!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Yes, this is going to be a Yuriko(Harry)/Hougen fic.

BAD GUYS NEED LOVE TOO!

…

And the Puppies would just be frigging adorable.

SLOW BURN (mostly) and NON-GRAPHIC puppy-making scene..

Seriously, that would just be weird and kinda boring. Dog's only have sex, like, _one way_ and seriously, its monotonous.

GO PUPPIES!

...

(CoughCough)

Anyways, ENJOY!

**R&R!**

**Chapter Three**

Yuriko woke to early morning light filtering through the cracks of the wooden walls of Hougen's Shrine, making her blink blearily. She carefully got to her feet, stepping over Hougen's large head and making her way closer to the door. She paused in order to stretch...

And that's when the stomach-cramps hit.

She whimpered, cowering in pain, one leg curling up against her belly as she gritted her teeth in a grimacing snarl in order to keep from making another sound. After about two minutes, the cramp faded, and she slumped, abruptly sitting, panting as her limbs trembled.

"Are you injured?" Hougen's voice made her flinch, startled, before she sent him a wry smile.

"Hardly," she replied. "Unless you count the fact that I haven't eaten in..." She frowned, counting, then shrugged. "About three weeks, and my stomach is now trying to eat itself. But no, I'm not injured." Hougen heaved himself to his feet, frowning slightly.

"I shall get you something to eat, then," he decided, padding past her and opening the door. Yuriko followed him cautiously into the morning sunlight. "My brother will be here soon from the scouting mission he went on." Yuriko got the feeling that that statement was a mixture of simple small talk and a bit of a threat or warning. She smirked at him, and then laid down at the top of the steps, making Hougen glance back at her as he started down them.

"I'll just wait here, shall I?" she remarked, laying her head on her foreleg, smirking at him. He leered back at her, turned, and moved through his soldiers and into the forest. Yuriko slit her eyes half-shut, and just relaxed in the sunlight, eyes drifting around the clearing and observing the soldiers. Half an hour passed, and then a Dane appeared out of the woods, with a good fifty dogs following, new soldiers, apparently. Yuriko stayed where she was, though her ears perked. The Dane was a harlequin, like Hougen, but his pointed ears flopped forward slightly at the tips, where as Hougen had the pointed tips of his ears ripped off for some reason.

"Genba-sama!" various soldiers cried, so Yuriko could only assume this was Hougen's younger brother. He stalked gracefully through the army, yellowish eyes, so like his brothers, narrowing as he peered up at Yuriko.

"Where is my brother?" He demanded; Yuriko sighed and lifted her head finally, standing with a stretch.

"Hougen-baka is being a gentleman, and getting me some dinner, Genba-kun," she told him easily, smirking down at him as she sat primly. "I haven't eaten in several weeks, so it is much appreciated," she added absently, shrugging. He frowned up at her, eyes narrowing.

"What rite do you have, bitch, to refer to my Aniki in such a disrespectful way?" He growled, stalking slowly up the steps in a predatory fashion. She bared her teeth in a half-smile, half snarl.

"I have a _rite_ to call anybody whatever the fuck I want, Genba-_chan_," she mocked viciously, and lunged over the other Dane's head with speed and grace when he dove at her, snarling. She landed neatly in the snow, turning gracefully and dodging to the right when the Dane again jumped at her, his heavy, larger form slamming into the ground where she'd been just seconds before. She didn't attempt to attack him, though, merely dodging all of his attacks and ignoring her steadily-growing tiredness. Movement at the forest edge distracted her at the wrong moment, and she yelped when Genba barreled into her, fangs latching onto her throat as she was forced onto her back. She chocked slightly, grimacing, but still offered him no violence even as he tightened his fangs.

"Genba!" Hougen's voice snarled; the younger harlequin-Dane released her throat and lifted his head, blinking over at his brother.

"Aniki," he said, and looked slightly confused as his elder brother stalked towards the two of them with an angry expression.

"What are you doing to my... Guest?" He snapped, wisely choosing a different word then the one he had been going to use.

"Aniki, she disrespected you, _and_ me!" Genba said; Hougen sent his brother a harsh look, and Genba pinned his ears back, lowering his head, before he stepped away from Yuriko, who rolled to her feet and shook herself, ignoring the blood that dripped from the wounds on her neck.

"That was fun," she said dryly, and grinned at Genba cheekily. "We should do it again sometime, Genba-_chan_." She winked, earning an annoyed growl from the Dane, before turning her attention to Hougen, smiling. "And how was your hunting trip, Hougen-baka?" She asked; he gave her a deadpan look.

"You're an antagonistic little spitfire, aren't you, Yuriko-chan?" He remarked; she beamed up at him, showing lots of teeth.

"I try," she replied, and Hougen chuckled, turned his head, and jerked it in a 'come here' gesture. A pair of Labrador mixes walked over, each carrying a large rabbit, which they meekly sat on the ground before Hougen. The Dane smirked at her, and kicked one of the rabbits over to her.

"Eat," he ordered; she rolled her eyes at him, but smiled, and tore into the rabbit, letting out a happy sigh as she swallowed the first mouthful. As she ate, she couldn't help but think that Hougen wasn't so bad, when he was trying to get something without using force, at least.

She ate both the rabbits, and then stretched with a relieved moan.

"So much better now," she declared, and turned a warm smile on Hougen. "Arigato, Hougen," she said sincerely, dropping the insulting suffix to help express her gratitude. Hougen smirked down at her, and she turned and padded towards the shrine, full and tired and ready for a nap. "I'm stealing your bed for a few hours, Hougen-baka!" she called playfully over er shoulder. "Have fun discussing things with Genba-chan and passing out orders." She leaped gracefully up the shrine steps and entered the dark room, moving straight to the bed, where she collapsed with a happy sigh.

Hougen turned to his younger brother and put his face right next to Genba's, teeth bared.

"You do not touch her," he growled. "Not in anger, not in lust, you will keep your fangs and paws away from the bitch, do you understand, Genba?" Genba crouched slightly, ducking his head a bit in submission.

"Hai, Aniki," he murmured; Hougen leaned back, nodding.

"Good," he rumbled. "I have a job for you, Otouto." Genba straightened, and nodded at him, ears leaning forward. "You are to go to the Futago Pass, and take over the holy place, Gajou, for me. Kill any who stand in your way." Genba grinned and licked his muzzle, chuckling eagerly.

"It will be done, Aniki," he growled; Hougen smirked.

"I have the utmost trust in you, Otouto," he replied, turning and heading for the shrine while his brother barked orders behind him, collecting two hundred of their soldiers to go with him. Hougen stepped into the open doorway of his shrine, and smirked slightly as he took in the lightly-snoring form of the brindle-Dane that had the gull to call him 'baka' to his face. She was a beauty, he had observed, and had looked even more beautiful when the blood of his own subordinate had drenched her jaws and throat when she had crushed his puny head in her jaws. She was a perfect example of their breed, long legged and proud.

And she belonged to him.

Leering at the thought, the harlequin-Dane slipped into his bed beside her, and settled in for a nice nap, knowing none of his idiot soldiers would bother him, or else they'd face his fangs. Hougen slit his eyes halfway shut in smug pleasure when the female Dane beside him unconsciously sought out his body heat, moving in her sleep to curl against him and sigh. Smirking, he lay his head across her shoulders, chuckling quietly, and closed his eyes to get some sleep.

Meanwhile, Weed and the others were discussing plans of action in the abandoned shed they'd claimed as a temporary base.

"John-sama is too hurt to travel as fast as you're going to go, Weed!" Reika worried, the red-furred female Akita shifting on her paws next to the large, comforting form of her friend, Hiro. Weed nodded, blue eyes bright as he tried to think of a solution.

"Reika-san, you'll be going to Ohu, yes?" Jerome asked; the red Akita nodded. "Then you shall need a guard in case Hougen's men are still searching for you," the German Shepherd said, shifting his eyes to the other Shepherd, who was attempting to walk towards them without limping (and failing). Weed's face brightened with understanding, and he shot his self-appointed adviser a grateful smile, before focusing on John.

"John-sama," he said, voice firm and authoritative. "You and Hook-san will guard and guide Reika-san to Gajou, where Akame-sama and our other friends are protecting it. They could use you're help there, just in case of an attack, and the distance will give you time to properly heal and recover from your time in Hougen's care." John paused, and then smirked.

"Hai," he agreed, and Hook, the large, scarred, and spotted Labrador mix, nodded as well.

"What will we do now, Weed?" GB asked worriedly. "Should we go and get the Leader back?"

"Of course that's what we'll do!" Kagetora cried, glowering at the English Setter. "What, do you think we'll just let what this Hougen bastard is doing slide?! Baka!"

"We'll head there immediately!" Ken cried, pumped up by his best friend's actions, as always. "Won't we, Weed?" Weed was hesitating, though, frowning, despite his comrades encouraging/pleading statements. He slid his eyes to Jerome, who met his eyes with calm professionalism.

"I will follow your orders, Weed-taichou," he said in his serious way. Weed nodded, and then looked off towards the mountains.

"No," he said finally, his comrades quieted, startled. "We will do as Rocket suggested earlier, and head towards Shiga." He felt a dull, throbbing pain in his chest at the thought of leaving his Father in Hougen's paws, but it needed to be done. He wouldn't lose his entire army on the chance that they could rescue Gin.

"Weed..." Kagetora, Ken, and GB all murmured as one, eyes wide; he sent them a firm look, frowning slightly.

"We're going to Shiga, and, with luck, we shall gain more allies to fill our ranks," he said sternly; the dogs all nodded, stunned and a little awed by the young blue Akita's strength of heart.

"What about Yuriko?" GB asked hesitantly; Weed grimaced.

"She knows what she's doing," Jerome replied with total confidence. "She knew that the likelihood of Hougen killing her outright was very slim, and she exploited that fact in order to save John-san's life. She is most probably unharmed and living behind enemy lines under Hougen's watch, but she is, even now, gathering information. My only concern for her is not her health, but her mind."

"Her mind?" Weed asked, alarmed; Jerome nodded grimly.

"It's easy for one to forget that their company is the enemy, if treated kindly and in their presence for a long time," the assassin-trained dog said quietly. "The Human's call it Stolkholm Syndrome, or capture-bonding. It's what happens when a hostage gains empathy and positive feelings for their captor. It can even get to the point where the hostage will defend the captor. It's a very dangerous psychological state of mind, and we should prepare for it in case she falls under it." Weed nodded, but looked both worried and disturbed.

"How would she feel empathetic towards that bastard?" John demanded; Jerome gave him a bland look.

"She is an eight-month-old female dog, who will be treated well if Hougen want's any chance of breeding with her, which he'll want, both because she is a Dane and because, as you told us before, she stood up to him and was unafraid. He'll see it as a challenge, something for him to conquer, and it will give him a sense of power if she willingly concedes to him as opposed to him forcing the issue."

"He would force-? That's disgusting!" GB cried, and indeed, he wasn't the only dog who looked both enraged and disgusted.

"Hougen has a disturbing fascination with females," Reika said, shuddering in memory. "But he's more interested in trying to win them over while holding them captive then..._ That_." She received many sympathetic/pitying looks as the dogs were reminded that she had been at Hougen's mercy just one day before.

"We'll be prepared," Weed announced somberly. "If she _does_ choose to defend him, it won't be because she believes in his cause, but because he'll be the dog she loves. Any one of us would do the same for a loved one in that situation." He cast a solemn eye over the gathered dogs. "She won't be acting in her right mind, and the best thing to do if she attacks will be to knock her unconscious and keep them seperated."

"Hai, Weed-taichou," the dogs all said in agreement. Weed nodded.

"We head out tomorrow," he announced. "Everyone, get some rest." As they slowly departed, bickering and joking and talking quietly amongst themselves, Weed silently made his way to the cliff, the same place they had all howled their rage and pain away for their lost loved ones. He sat and stared off into space, blue eyes filled with sadness as he thought about what had to be done, and what the consequences could be.

"You know, Weed," GB said quietly, hesitantly padding over to his side, "Yuriko-chan would yell at you for worrying about her so much," the English Setter informed him with a weak smile. "She'd probably give you a whack on the head and scold you and call you Gaki," he chuckled, and Weed's lips twitched up reluctantly, though his eyes remained sad.

"I know," he murmured, eyes turning to the clouds, watching them in contemplation. "But... I can't help but think that, if our places were switched, she would plunge right into the very middle of Hougen's army and rescue me." He sighed and shook his head. "I don't know, it's just..." He sighed again, this time in frustration.

"You feel guilty," Jerome said, coming up on his other side, startling the two dogs. Weed nodded reluctantly, and the German Shepherd nodded back. "It's natural when one of your friends are in a bad situation. You second-guess yourself, wonder if what you're doing is what they'd do, if it's right, if it'll hurt them in some way." Jerome turned solemn eyes to the distance, sitting tall and proud as Weed looked up at him in slight wonder. "That is the curse of a Leader, Weed-taichou," he said with quiet certainty. "That feeling of guild, of responsibility... It will remain, and it _is_ a curse..." Jerome finally looked down at him, and met his eyes with confidence and self-assurance that Weed wished he felt at the moment.

"But it is a curse that is felt only by those who are meant to lead. Only by those who have leadership in their very souls, and can withstand that curse, to do what is right, no matter how much pain they cause themselves in every order they give." Jerome held Weed's blue eyes intensely for a few more minutes, before standing and starting to move away. "Remember that, taichou, next time you doubt yourself." Weed and GB stared after the ex-assassin in awe and respect.

"What a guy," GB murmured; Weed simply nodded, and then turned his eyes back to the horizon, determination flooding his veins. He would be a good Leader, and he would stop Hougen, and rescue his father and Yuriko. He could only hope that they would wait for him.

"Let's go rest, GB," the Akita finally said; the English Setter sent him a startled look as Weed stood and turned to start walking back to their temporary camp. Then GB's eyes softened and he smiled slightly.

"Hai, Weed... Taichou." Still smiling that faint way, the English Setter also stood and padded after his young friend, pausing only to cast a look behind him at the horizon, shake his head, and speed up to catch up to the Akita until they walked side-by-side.

**A/N:** Shorter than the last one, but, seriously, it was the perfect spot to end it. (Shrugs)

Got Questions? Just Ask!

**R&R!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Mkay, I hope you guys are ready for this next chapter!

Enjoy!

**R&R!**

**Chapter Four**

A week passed, and Yuriko steadily regained the weight she had lost, all thanks to Hougen constantly providing her with food... Though, she had to admit, it was rather flattering when he brought her a fawn. And he didn't really try to restrict her movements, though it was an unspoken rule that she didn't leave the clearing without him, not that she really had any need. Most days, she just lounged at the top step of the shrine, and never really moved besides that, forcing Hougen to step over her if he wanted down or into the shrine. The harlequin-Dane only chuckled at her actions, and Yuriko would have to hide a grin in her foreleg, finding Hougen's reactions both amusing and endearing.

Today wasn't any different, as she lounged easily on the top step. Hougen stepped out of the shrine, stretched, and then straightened and looked around his clearing with a frown.

"Where is the Ohu Army?" he asked no-one in particular, yellowish eyes irritated. "They should have been here by now!" A Beagle padded up to the bottom of the steps, but didn't attempt to get closer.

"Hougen-sama, news has come that the Ohu Army was spotted in Shiga," the Beagle said; Hougen blinked, startled.

"Shiga?" He demanded, disbelief coloring his voice; the Beagle nodded, and quickly slipped back into the crowd, blending in and using it as an effective camouflage. "They went _around us_?" Hougen said, turning and staring out at the mountains, and Yuriko snickered, grinning in amusement.

"Smart of them," she said easily. "They're gathering their numbers, most likely." Hougen cast her a look, then frowned before looking back to the mountains.

"Shiga," he muttered, and then tilted his head slightly. "Kyoushiro the Silver?" He tilted his head some more, then shook it.

"Who?" Yuriko asked curiously, ears perking forward, making Hougen leer briefly before he turned and laid down behind her, his large body radiating heat.

"No one you need worry about, my dear," he told her easily, smirking. "Especially not when I've sent some of my best assassins to kill him anyways." Yuriko gave him a wry smile.

"You'll find that surprises can be the downfall of even the most professional of dogs, Hougen-baka," she informed him, before turning her head and laying it on her foreleg, face pointed towards the clearing. Hougen hummed once in acknowledgment of her warning, a deep, gravelly rumble that Yuriko felt throughout her own body. Then, he laid his head across her shoulders and settled there, watching his Army with slightly-smug yellowish eyes. They remained there for a little while, before Hougen huffed and stood, making Yuriko look up at him.

"I have orders to give," he told her; she nodded and laid her head back down. Hougen's lips twitched as he stepped carefully over her and started down the steps. Yuriko opened on eye to watch him walk, admiring from a safe distance, before she shut her eye and settled back to doze. Hougen stood amongst his Army, growling orders, setting up guard duty and hunting parties, scowling and delivering stunning blows with his paw when needed for particularly slow-to-act subordinates-or, as Yuriko was fond of calling them, 'minions'. Before the brindle-Dane had come into his possession, he had stood or sat at the top steps of his shrine and shouted his orders, snarling at those who didn't move fast enough for his liking. However, Yuriko wouldn't stand for him shouting near her when she was attempting to nap, and it was best to keep her happy. She'd chosen to sleep outside with the Army rather then in his bed when he'd insisted on how he doled out his orders. He'd been forced to not only _apologize_ to the bitch, but to spend the night without sleep, growling to himself and scowling, as the fact that she would rather sleep out in the _snow_ with his _minions_ than him. If any had tried to touch her, he would have slaughtered them, _slowly_, but none did.

She'd returned readily to his bed when he had formally apologized to her, and changed the way he gave orders.

He had to admit, though, that he actually preferred this hands-on approach. Dogs obeyed him faster when they didn't feel the security of a staircase separating them. And, this way, he could look into the dogs face when he gave his orders and threats should they fail, got to get up close and personal, to smell their fear as they stuttered and scrambled to obey. Yes, this way was much more pleasurable.

Yuriko rolled onto her back, stretching her legs out with a sigh, before rolling up onto her feet and padding down the steps. She padded out among the Army, and greeted a few dogs by name, pausing to talk to the soldiers, smiling and gentle-toned. These were comrades, after all, even if she was technically the enemy, for now they were on the same side, and there was no reason to treat them as any less than a fellow soldier. The fact that they called her 'Yuriko-sama' was a little frustrating, but she didn't try to change it. If they called her anything less, Hougen would consider it an insult to her person and a challenge to himself, and would punish the dog viciously. And, if _she_ told them to call her something else, then the harlequin-Dane would take it as her fancying the unlucky dog, and death would be a mercy.

"Hello, Ren-san," she greeted the chocolate-Lab. He grinned up at her a little shyly, the scar tracing across his nose thick and pink. "How's your nose doing?" She asked kindly; he laughed, gray eyes warm.

"Ah, much better, Yuriko-sama," he informed her, rubbing the fresh scar with a paw. He'd gotten into a fight while out with a dozen or so others, to get more recruits. They'd brought back a small number, but it was still a contribution. Yuriko had told him about a herb she'd found that, when chewed up and placed on wounds, would help them heal faster without infection. He'd told others after he'd tested it himself, and soon many of the dogs with small wounds were healed up much faster.

"That's good to hear," she told him, smiling, and then bid him good-day to continue her rounds. She wandered over to Hougen when she noticed him snarling at a cowering dog.

"You Baka!" Hougen snarled darkly. "Do you think we can afford the Human's locating us? We could kill them, of course, but then more would come, and we could all be wiped out!" He moved to strike the already terrified dog, but Yuriko slid forward, rubbing her shoulder against his.

"Temper, temper, Hougen-baka," she crooned at him, and sent a calm smile to the cowering dog. "I'm sure he didn't do whatever he did with the intent of causing us trouble, am I right?" The dog nodded viciously.

"I-I didn't think that stealing a duck would be bad, Hougen-sama, Yuriko-sama!" He whimpered. "I just-I thought it would be easier, you know? There were so many, and they weren't in a fence, they were just out there!" He turned huge, pleading eyes on Yuriko, who sent him a comforting smile before turning her bright green eyes to Hougen's, taking in his gritted teeth and fierce look.

"Now you know better, don't you?" Yuriko asked the dog, keeping her eyes on Hougen. The dog (some sort of mix, by the looks of him) nodded rapidly, brown eyes glancing back and forth between the two Dane's.

"Hai, Yuriko-sama," he managed; Yuriko smiled up at Hougen.

"There, see? Lesson learned and taught," she said calmly, and raised her voice. "All of you know now not to attract the attention of the Humans in any way, yes?"

"Hai, Yuriko-sama," came an almost unanimous reply, and Yuriko nodded, nudging Hougen with her snout.

"See, Hougen?" She asked gently, dropping her playful suffix pointedly. "They all learned a valuable lesson. Some mistakes teach, after all." Hougen finally grunted, sent her an exasperated/annoyed look, before he turned and stalked away, barking out more orders. Yuriko turned her attention to the grateful dog. "Now, what's your name, soldier?" She asked him.

"K-Kazue, Yuriko-sama," he managed, sitting up hesitantly, head ducked and ears pinned; Yuriko smiled down at him.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Kazue-san," she told him kindly. "Now, I am sure you wont go near anymore Humans, right?" He nodded rapidly, slowly sitting up.

"Hai, Yuriko-sama," he eagerly told her. "I won't go anywhere near those ducks, or any other Human places! I promise!" Yuriko smiled a little broader.

"Wonderful, Kazue-san!" She praised him, then leaned in close. "I'm going to trust you to keep your word. But, know that I am not so lenient with those who break my trust, okay?" Her voice remained gentle, almost teasing, and he smile at her, ears perking up again, muscles relaxing.

"I understand, ma'am," he assured her, and she sat back, nodded to him, and turned to pad after Hougen, who was slowly making his way back to the shrine. She rubbed against his side as she passed, and laughed when he snapped his teeth towards her thigh, flashing him a smirk over her shoulders before she leaped gracefully up the shrine steps and sauntered inside, ready and willing for a nap.

Another week passed, and Yuriko found herself constantly dreaming about her life as Harry Potter, something that seemed like it had happened years and years ago. As Yuriko, she could do everything Harry Potter hadn't been able to. She could run free and flirt as she wished, could eat and drink whatever she wanted. She was a new person, and Harry was some part of her that showed itself only in that nostalgic Hero-Complex of hers, that made Hougen frustrated and amused because she kept distracting him from killing the minions that irritated him. And in the dreams...

Dreams of his old friends and what he considered his family. Dreams of his time as an Unspeakable, of all the things he worked on during those four years spent in the Department of Mysteries. That wonderful day that Fred came out of the coma that he'd been put in during the Final Battle... And then that wretched day when the Twins newest prank experiment had exploded and left no trace of them anywhere to be found. The times he spent with his boyfriends, with his girlfriends. Occasionally the dreams would go back further, to his Hogwarts years, and, even rarer, the times before, where he only knew hunger and hatred and an unending loneliness that ate a hole through his heart and left him starving for any kind of affection at all.

Now, though, he had an Army of dogs he... _She_ could call comrades, a few he could call friends. _She_ had the attention and possessive-affection of a psychotic but generally alright Hougen (if you ignored his urge to systematically kill everything that annoyed him, that is...). She had the chance at a new family, a new _life_. And she couldn't even find it in herself to be angry at Ginny for causing the whole mess, not when she was _happy_ now, perhaps even happier then she'd been the first time _he'd_ seen Hogwarts, or the image of his parents in the Mirror of Erised.

Turning her head to watch Hougen sleep beside her, Yuriko could only smile slightly, and push the memories back. That life was Harry's, and Harry, while a part of Yuriko, would never have a good grip on her life.

"Go to sleep, Yuriko-chan," Hougen rumbled with a sleep-roughened voice, slitting one yellowish eye open to look at her; Yuriko chuckled softly, and leaned her head down so that their cheeks touched.

"Hai, Hougen-baka," she sighed, closing her eyes and still smiling. Hougen watched her for a few minutes, eye thoughtful, before he closed it and shifted his body closer to hers, letting out a low, satisfied hum in his chest, before they both slipped into sleep. Yuriko didn't dream anything else after that, and woke to an empty bed, the door to the shrine closed so that sunlight wouldn't blind her when she woke. Yuriko smiled faintly, stretched, and made her way outside, finding Hougen sitting at the top step, observing his Army. He turned a smirk towards her, though, when she sat next to him.

"Yuriko-chan," he greeted; Yuriko nodded.

"Hougen-baka," she replied, getting an indulgent chuckle.

"How would you like to visit the nearby town today, Yuriko-chan?" The Harlequin-Dane asked; Yuriko sent him a suspicious glance.

"I didn't know we had dogs going into towns, Hougen-baka," she said cautiously; he nodded at her.

"Collecting strays and any dogs that are tired of their pathetic lives as pets," he told her, and turned half-lidded yellowish eyes on her, smirking. "I believe you'll have an interesting time, my dear." Yuriko just nodded, deciding that this was some sort of trust-test or something.

"Who would I be going with?" She asked; Hougen jerked his head, towards the small gathering of dogs near the edge of the forest. The Beagle Brothers were there, along with a Husky dog and a Golden Retriever that was missing an eye.

"One of the Beagles will return here if any trouble arises," Hougen said, half an absent small talk, half a warning. Yuriko heard the unspoken _'If you try to leave, he'll come tell me so I can drag you back and make it so you can never move without my permission'_ hidden in that small statement, and inclined her head in acknowledgment. Hougen smirked. "Have fun, Yuriko-chan," he suggested; Yuriko snorted slightly, before making her way easily down the steps and through the Army. She made it to the group, and all four dogs nodded deeply.

"Yuriko-sama," they greeted; she inclined her head back.

"Names, please," she replied with a smile.

"Satoru *****," the Husky said, his single blue eye glowing out of his black-and-white face, his brown eye looking dull in contrast.

"Sho ******," the Golden Retriever grunted roughly.

"I am Arashi *******," The Beagle Brother with copper eyes said, voice cold. His brown-eyed brother nodded.

"And I am Fuyuki ********. Come, we must leave now if we wish to return before dark, Yuriko-sama," he said solemnly; Yuriko nodded in agreement, and the five of them started running, Yuriko having to hold back so that her long legs didn't send her shooting off into the distance when she noticed the pace the abnormally fast Beagle Brothers were holding. Within an hour, they reached a small town, and split up, Arashi shadowing Yuriko as she padded carefully though trash-littered alleys and slunk past people on the street, avoiding their eyes just barely. A Great Dane running around with no tag or collar was more likely to get the pound called on her than any of her four companions, she knew. It didn't help that she looked black at first glance. Big black dogs were seen as more threatening to the general populace than, say, a large white dog.

So not fair.

"Where, oh where would I find a stray dog, or a pet who's looking for greener pastures?" Yuriko asked no one in particular, humming in thought.

"Well, you _could _start right here," a cheerful voice said; Yuriko's head snapped to the side to see two semi-tallish dogs grinning at her through a fence. Both had wavy red fur and blue eyes, with darker red and lighter red freckle-like spots on their snouts. Their ears were floppy but perched a little differently, ending with a result that looked my like how Genba's ears flopped over on top.

"Because, luv, we could bloody well use some greener pastures," a slightly high-pitched voice told her, coming from the dog on the left. The right one nodded and they both grinned.

"Yeah, mate," the right said cheerfully. "You going to break us out?" Yuriko stared at them for a few seconds, having flash backs of another red-haired pair of twins. Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Would your names happen to be Fred and George? Or Gred and Forge?" She asked; the two dogs smiles dropped and they stared at her warily. They shared a brief glance, and then nodded slowly at her.

"Yeah..." They said together; Yuriko blinked rapidly for a second, willing back the sudden tears that wanted to fall. _Damn hormones..._

"I'm Yuriko," she said quietly. "Child of Lily... My father's name was James." She said with quiet intensity, staring at them. They gawked for a second, blue eyes going huge, and then looked her over.

"Bloody hell, mate," the left twin said. "You got-"

"Bloody _tall_," Right-Twin announced, and suddenly both were beaming, and Yuriko found herself putting her paws on the fence and pressing her nose between the bars, sniffing at them as they sniffed at her, memorizing each others new scents, that still somehow smelt similar.

"That's what happens when you grow up," she snarked at them. "Last time I saw you, there was a big explosion before you disappeared. Everyone thought you two were dead!" The Newly-found Weasley Twins grimaced.

"Might as well be," Left-Twin muttered.

"For all the excitement we see," Right-Twin agreed.

"Tied to this bloody _chain_," they both said in disgust; Yuriko nodded sympathetically.

"Well, I'll let you blokes go," she told them simply. "And you can come and join Hougen's Army, right?" The Twins blinked at her, and then their eyes narrowed.

"Heard of this bloke Hougen," Left-Twin (she believed it might be Fred. His voice had always been a bit higher than Georges...) said warily.

"Bloody-minded bastard, rumors say," Maybe-George added disapprovingly.

"How'd you get tangled up with him?" They asked together; Yuriko shrugged a little sheepishly.

"Made a deal, saved another dogs life, and am now living it pretty easy. This is the first time I've been allowed out of the Army Grounds, however, since I joined up with him a couple of weeks ago," she admitted, wincing slightly.

"Ah," the Twins said sagely, smirking at her. "Still saving people?" Yuriko winced again, and let out a sigh.

"You wanna come or not?" She demanded, a little impatient as Fuyuki moved a bit closer, brown eyes narrowing even as he kept look-out. The Twins shared a look, smirked, and then turned and nodded at her.

"How will you manage it?" Fred asked, cocking his head to the side; Yuriko stepped back, crouched, and lunged up and over the fence, grunting as she landed wrong and ended up having to roll. She shook herself after getting to her feet and scowled down at her paws.

"Blood massive annoyances," she grumbled, then turned and flashed the Weasley Twins a mischievous grin, before she grabbed the thin, relatively weak chain in her teeth, clenched her jaw tight, and yanked her head. After a moment of resistance, the chains snapped, leaving about a foot dangling from the Twins thin collars (George's was black, and Fred's was orange). The two red dogs grinned at her, tails wagging, before the three of them jumped back over the fence, Yuriko just managing to keep her footing, though she _did_ stagger and smack her shoulder into the neighbors brick-wall.

"Dammit," she cursed, then sighed and shook herself.

"Are you alright, Yuriko-sama?" Fuyuki asked, glancing at the two red dogs warily as they pranced around each other, grinning like loons.

"Hai, Fuyuki-san," she assured him, then turned. "May I introduce Fred and his Twin, George," she said, gesturing at the Twins with a paw. "They're old friends from when I was younger. They disappeared several months ago in an explosion." The Beagle eyed the two dogs with narrowed brown eyes.

"Konnichiha *********," he greeted coldly; Fred and George grinned at him.

"Nice to meet you, Fuyuki-kun!" The Twins greeted cheerfully; Yuriko snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Come on," she said. "Let's go meet up with the others."

"Hai, Yuriko-sama," Fuyuki agreed, and the four of them started slinking through alleys again.

"I never got to ask," Yuriko said suddenly, glancing back at the Twins. "What breed are you two? I'm a Great Dane, but that's a bit obvious." The Twins grinned at her.

"Our owner said-"

"We were a mix breed, made-"

"Up from an Irish Setter and-"

"A Vizsal," they finished together. Yuriko hummed.

"Two hunting breeds," Fuyuki remarked, glancing back at the two in intense scrutiny. "This will make Hougen-sama pleased, Yuriko-sama," he told her, turning forward again. "These two will be good for scouting and spying, like my brother and I." Yuriko nodded.

"I'll trust your judgment on that, Fuyuki-san," she told him simply. "I've no notion of that sort of thing..." The Beagle nodded, as if it was expected. After a few more minutes, they exited the town and swiftly made it to the nearby clearing that was the meeting place. Sho and two other dogs (both young mix-breeds) waited, and, after half an hour, Satoru and Arashi returned, each with four dogs, three of them wearing collars with broken chains.

"We will need to tell Hougen-sama that this town is finished," Arashi announced. "The Humans are beginning to get wary, and too many dogs have been drafted. They are getting suspicious." Yuriko, Sho, and Fuyuki nodded.

"I'll tell him once we get back there," Yuriko said; the four dogs nodded, and then she gave the new recruits a sharp eye.

"Listen up," she ordered; they all focused on her. "I am Yuriko. You may refer to me as Yuriko-sama and nothing else, or else Hougen-sama will find you a unneccesary annoyance and do away with you, understand?"

"Hai, Yuriko-sama," most of the dogs replied, with a few just silently nodding.

"Good. You will follow my orders, or the orders of Sho, Satoru, Arashi, and Fuyuki." Each of the dogs stood up at their names and gave the eleven other dogs hard looks. "We are in charge of you until we get to the Army Base, and then you will answer to Hougen-sama, myself, or whomever has control over your section. Understand?" She asked again.

"Hai, Yuriko-sama!" Came the much louder cry, joined this time by two cheekily grinning Weasley Twins. Yuriko nodded at them and grinned.

"Good!" She said, standing. "Let's go then, shall we?" She turned and started running, the Beagle Brothers on either side, while Sho and Satoru moved to either side of the new recruits, making sure none of them veered off to different directions or fell behind. Yuriko ran through the snow, and found herself content. She had a new life, yes, and the entrance of the Weasley Twins skewed that a bit, but she didn't worry about them.

Merlin knows that they would treat this all as some sort of massive prank. The thought made her smile as she picked up the pace a little, laughing as she jumped over the top of a small hill, and wondered if Hougen would have her dinner waiting for her when she got home...

**A/N:** And so entered the Weasley Twins! Kudos to **_shadow haunt_** for giving me the idea and picking their breed!

YOU'RE AWESOME!

*** **Satoru – Enlightenment

****** Sho – Soar, Fly

******* Arashi – Storm

******** Fuyuki – Snowy Winter

********* Konnichiha – hello, good day

A picture of the Weasley Twins can be found on Google images. Just type in **_Vizsal Irish Setter Mix_** and the one with long, wavy hair is the one I based their descriptions from.

**Random Fact – **_Hougen_ means _Law of the Occult_, while _Genba_ means _Place of Occult_. Interesting, huh?

**R&R!**


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